A night of heavy rain left the ground damp and soft, but I was quite pleased with the cool temperatures as I had long sleeves and pants to keep the bugs away. On the 5th of July at 6:00am, the roads were fabulously empty and I was the first car into the Punkatasset lot. My plan was to try and bird the meadow again, and then tuck into the woods for the rest of the day as the sun started to come out. And while I saw some outstanding baby Barred Owls not far from the meadow, there were no hawks to be found in the area either day.įinally, last week I made a third (and likely final) attempt at Punkatasset on a fairly cool Saturday morning. I found a large meadow near the entrance of the woods that had great visibility and was full of songbirds, so I spent one sunset and one sunrise there, hoping for a sighting. Being just 30 to 40 minutes away from my home, I made a couple trips out to the Punkatasset region of the conservation area, to try my luck on a rare summer Sharpie. However, I kept my eyes open for eBird sightings and Flickr photos, and sure enough, some visual evidence turned up that indicated that a pair of Sharpies might be nesting in the Estabrook Woods area of Concord, MA. Summer time, according to the numbers and the research I had found, didn’t seem like a very likely time to see these birds, as they’d likely be tucked away in their nesting habitats, away from prying eyes. ![]() Despite being in the cemetery on days when a Sharpie was reported, I wasn’t able to catch one there either.Īfter spring migration had ended, I had resigned myself to waiting until September, for fall migration, when the hawks would again pass through the state on their way back down to warmer turf. I also spent several hours lurking at Mount Auburn Cemetery in May, hoping to catch a Sharpie as it hunted the freshly arriving crop of migrant warblers that stop in on their journeys. I spent a few sunset hours this spring at the tail end of migration, but never got a peek at one. In April and May, large numbers of them are frequently seen heading north at Plum Island in Newburyport. I missed a few chances this spring to catch any migrating Sharpies. Again - this is another tough mark as tail tips can fade and wear down over time. The COHA has a more typically rounded tail, with a bolder white tip. Tail: the SSHA traditionally has a square-edged tail, with a very slight white tip. The SSHA also lacks the raised hackle at the back of the head - that’s something that’s exclusive to the COHA, although the crest is not always up. The COHA has a much more prominent neck and large head when perched, while the SSHA’s smaller head seems to rise right from the shoulder. The SSHA’s eye appears more central to its head, while the COHA’s eye is closer to the beak. The SSHA also has distinctively thin legs compared to the COHA.įace: the SSHA has a dark cap and nape (hood), while the COHA has a dark cap only, and a pale nape. ![]() The SSHA has a shorter head projection than the COHA, giving the SSHA the “flying hammer” shape, while the COHA has a “flying cross” shape. Shape: the SSHA soars with slightly bent wrists, while the COHA soars with straight wings. Size: the SSHA is traditionally smaller (pigeon-sized) than the COHA (crow-sized) - however a female SSHA and a male COHA get quite comparable, so this can be a deceiving mark. The differences between the Sharpie ( SSHA) and Coop ( COHA) are slight, but combining a few field marks makes a positive ID possible. Juveniles of both species are brown and streaked, with yellow eyes. Adults of both species are blue-gray on top, with rusty streaks on white underparts. ![]() Like a Coop, the Sharpie is a slender hawk, with red eyes and a long, banded tail. Even a clear photo can provide multiple opinions and conflicting signs to read. The biggest problem is their striking resemblance to the Cooper’s Hawk, and picking between them requires patience, practice and some luck. Identifying a Sharpie is where things get a bit uncomfortable. They prefer to raise their young in thick, remote woodlands, and are much less frequently seen by human eyes in the summer. Sharp-shinned Hawks migrate through Massachusetts each spring and fall in large numbers, but a very small subset of them nest within the state. They are incredibly agile and quick - striking unsuspecting prey from a hidden perch or at the end of a mid-air chase. A secretive predator of songbirds, these accipiters are easily overlooked as they lurk along tree lines in the summer, and stalk backyard feeders in the winter. ![]() The Sharp-shinned Hawk is the smallest true hawk on the list.
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